Pecco Bagnaia was involved in a car accident while on vacation on the Spanish island of Ibiza, which occurred while he was drunk.
According to local Spanish mediaBagnaia hit the car he was driving at the roundabout, losing control when the wheel hit the ditch.
Although no other vehicles were involved, when the police arrived, Bagnaia failed the breath test, showing a blood alcohol concentration of 0.87g/l. Spanish law that the legal limit for a breath test is 0.25 g/l, while the limit for a blood test is 0.5 g/l.
It should be noted that blood alcohol levels are measured differently in Europe and in Australia and in the US. In the EU, the unit used is grams of alcohol per liter of blood, while in the UK, Australia and the US the percentage used is grams per 100ml. A blood alcohol level of 0.87 in Spain is equivalent to 0.087 in the US or 87 in the UK.
According to a police report cited by the local newspaper, Periodico de Ibiza, police were called to an accident at 5 a.m. where they found Pecco Bagnaia in a crashed vehicle. They conducted a breath test, standard procedure for anyone involved in an accident, and found him over the limit.
On Tuesday night, Bagnaia released a statement and an apology on its social media accounts.
“Last night I was in Ibiza with my friends for a party during the MotoGP break. We celebrated together and toasted my victory at the Dutch GP. When I left the disco at 3 a.m., I was faced with a roundabout that ended with the front wheel in a ditch that didn’t involve other vehicles or people. However, a blood alcohol test carried out by the police showed a blood alcohol concentration higher than the limit allowed by Spanish law. I’m sorry for what happened; I am practically someone who doesn’t drink water, and that was a serious carelessness that shouldn’t have happened. I apologize to everyone, and I can assure you that I have learned my lesson. Never get behind the wheel after drinking. Thank you.”
Bagnaia’s statement on Twitter appears below:
What happens next for Bagnaia remains unclear. Anyone caught in Spain with a blood alcohol level between 0.5 and 1.2 g/l will face penalties including fines of between €300 and €600, and if they are a possessor Spanish driver’s license, they will lose six license points and may have their driving license suspended for up to 6 months.
However, as a foreigner, he is likely to only face a fine.
How Ducati and Dorna handle this is a separate matter. In the past, unwanted behavior off the track was either covered up or left to the teams to deal with.
In this case, however, Pecco Bagnaia is one of the sport’s biggest names, a factory racer and a strong contender for the 2022 MotoGP title. It will be harder for Dorna to ignore, but they don’t want to lose one of their biggest stars.
There is a provision in the regulations that prohibits riders and teams from making claims that detract from the MotoGP championship, section 1.11.4.1.
However, this section is titled, “Public Statements by Teams and Drivers”, and does not address conduct that could harm the championship. Only explicit statements are prohibited: “Teams and Riders must avoid public statements or press releases that could damage or negatively affect the MotoGP World Championship,” the rules read.
At the time of writing, Ducati has not released a statement about the incident.
Whether it’s fair or not, talent tends to buy tolerance. Aprilia sided with Andrea Iannone, long after the Italian was found guilty of drug use by WADA and rejected by CAS.
Bagnaia is widely recognized as one of MotoGP’s most talented riders, so that is likely to buy him a degree of tolerance for his misdeeds.
Source: Periodico de Ibizia & SoloMoto; Photo: Ducati Corse
